Chapter 21: Aya

“BHAO KNOCKOUT”

Just as Mayne had mentioned yesterday in that tone that was “kind as if she were graciously bestowing her concern”—this was the most important match of the year at Blue Sea Academy, the one that absolutely couldn’t be failed.

Ever since BHAO had completely taken the world by storm, Blue Sea Academy had practically shifted its stance overnight, transforming into what was now the most famous “BHAO specialized academy.”

Those schools that still clung to old-fashioned education might have been called “traditional” in the past; but in today’s world, they were more like outdated relics that time would naturally eliminate.

After all—when the world’s “currency” had been equivalently replaced by BHAO’s game points, studying other fields had become “not so necessary” in many people’s eyes.

Of course, there were still plenty of academies that stuck to their original principles.

After all, relying solely on a single game to sustain the development of human civilization didn’t seem like something that could last long, no matter how you looked at it.

It was just that these grand truths, big enough to be written into textbooks, didn’t hold much meaning for my current position.

Because Blue Sea Academy had already been completely reshaped in the form of BHAO.

As soon as I stepped through the school gate, I was hit in the face with colorful balloons, banners, and streamers coming right at me.

That liveliness wasn’t the kind for a festival; it was more like some “excitement spiraling out of control” frenzy.

“These guys… are they all skipping class or what?”

I casually pointed with my finger at the students not far away who were busy decorating the school path.

Their faces were overflowing with joy that was practically spilling over, but that joy didn’t infect me at all.

On the contrary—standing here, I felt like a piece of ice tossed into hot water.

Ridiculously out of place.

“The BHAO KNOCKOUT is happening this afternoon!”

Heita laughed naturally beside me. “It’s only natural they’re excited!”

“Ah, yeah.”

I raised my hand to wipe the sweat from my cheek.

The summer air was already hot and sticky, and with these people’s emotions burning at full blast, it felt like they’d forcibly raised the temperature a notch.

“Look, look, Yoruichi!”

Heita waved his hand like he’d discovered a new continent. 

“A lot of students are using the plugin that came with that apology letter! Everyone thinks it’s trendy… and they even say—people changed by the BUG are ‘chosen ones’!”

My eye twitched as I heard that.

“Chosen ones…”

It was a word that sounded cool but actually made me want to roll my eyes.

“How do you know they’re all using it?” 

I turned my face sideways, asking in a lazy tone.

Heita was clearly startled by my question, like a elementary school kid suddenly called on, immediately straightening his back with his speech speeding up.

“O-Of course, they messaged me about it! Don’t look at me like that—I’m a member of Blue Sea Academy’s BHAO investigation team!”

I was silent for a second.

“…You?”

The threshold for this organization is a bit dangerous, isn’t it?

Heita’s appearance was flawless, the type that would get extra glances from girls just standing by the playground.

But his personality was as reckless as a golden retriever that had wandered into an academic conference—imagining a guy like him in an “investigation team” felt like the start of a comedy skit.

“So the investigation team’s job is… investigating gossip you like, then submitting it to the academy news club?” 

I said with a tone that carried a bit of “I’m seriously doubting you guys.”

Yet Heita nodded without a shred of shame, nodding with particular righteousness.

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“Then—the thing you’re most focused on lately is that ‘restore original appearance’ plugin?” I followed up naturally.

“No.” Heita shook his head.

“Then it must be…”

I sighed, almost able to predict it. “The Night Witch.”

Heita nodded first, then the next second, his face suddenly changed as if triggered by some mysterious switch.

“Oh no! I remember there was a Night Witch battle last night—I completely forgot! I actually forgot about it!!”

…As expected.

That was just like Heita.

As long as it had anything to do with the words “Night Witch,” his brain would automatically switch to single-threaded mode, turning everything else into background noise.

I couldn’t help but imagine it in my mind:

If one day he discovered—that the me standing beside him, with the appearance of “Yae Yoruichi,” actually had the body of the “Night Witch.”

What expression would he make?

He’d probably crash on the spot, then revive right there, and finally kneel down to pay respects.

…Why am I even having this kind of twisted anticipation?

I cleared my throat dryly, forcibly pulling my thoughts back to reality, and raised my hand to pat his back.

“Relax, relax.” 

I pretended to be casual. 

“It’s just a battle recording; I have a bunch saved on my side.”

“R-Really?”

Heita instantly showed the expression of a kid hearing “there’s candy,” his eyes filled with expectation.

“Ah, you—”

I was about to tease him when I suddenly felt an oppressive force coming at me from the side of my face.

Almost instinctively, I jerked downward—

The next second, a soft leather sports ball grazed over my head, the airflow it brought even lifting the ends of my hair.

Under the AR projection, my “black-haired boy” appearance showed no abnormality, but my real long black hair fluttered in the wind for a moment.

Hey, hey…

I widened my eyes, watching the ball roll away.

It wasn’t a hard ball like a basketball; getting hit wouldn’t be fatal, but it would definitely hurt like hell.

Moreover—it was clear this ball wasn’t an accident.

It was aimed at me.

I swallowed, turning around in the direction the ball had come from.

What entered my view was a blonde girl.

Her slightly wavy blonde hair wasn’t too long, but she had tied it into twintails with white ribbons.

Sports shorts, sports T-shirt—her whole being was like a bundle of overflowing energy, but her gaze was sharp like hooks with barbs.

Energy wasn’t wrong.

But throwing a ball at someone was another matter.

“Um—”

“Yae Yoruichi!”

Before I could get the words out, her voice smashed over first, her momentum so aggressive it almost made me swallow the rest of my sentence back down my throat.

“You useless piece of trash, get away from my brother right now!”

Brother?

I slowly turned my gaze to Heita.

His face, usually wearing that “I’m easy to fool” look, was now unusually serious.

“Aya.” Heita lowered his voice. “Don’t talk so aggressively.”

Aya… Makura Aya?

I silently repeated the name in my mind.

She and Makura Heita did have similar hair colors.

Even more enviable—they’d both inherited good facial genes.

But good genes didn’t mean personality would automatically be excellent too.

I took a deep breath, trying to make myself seem a bit gentler.

“Sorry, Aya.” I spoke up. “I think… I haven’t affected your brother in any way, right?”

I thought the misunderstanding could at least be eased with an explanation.

But I clearly hadn’t fully understood yet—at Blue Sea Academy, “the weak” weren’t allowed the right to explain.

“Who gave you permission to speak, you swine!”

Aya’s voice suddenly rose sharply, like a steel wire snapping abruptly, piercing and chilling.

“Lousy bottom-feeder, Yae Yoruichi! It’s because my brother hangs out with you that his character is so crappy!”

In that instant, my mind even blanked out for a beat.

Swine?

Where did you dig that up from some vile dictionary?

“Ah… is that so.”

I didn’t refute immediately, just softly responded.

Not because I agreed, but because I knew too well—refuting in this place wouldn’t bring fairness; it would only attract more onlookers.

But Aya clearly took my silence as agreement.

“Yeah! It’s because of you!”

She continued in that matter-of-fact tone. “That’s why my brother is so lazy, why he doesn’t try to earn points!”

I clenched my fingers.

Heita’s tier advancement being slow wasn’t because he was lazy at all.

He was just a defensive-type character with scarce attack methods. Every shield swing was like digging a mountain with a spoon—time-consuming, exhausting, and unrewarding.

But he’d never given up.

I could see his effort every day.

“Ah, still at Tier 2 even now.”

Aya sneered. “So stupid! Just as disgusting as a waste like you! Players who don’t try get eliminated by BHAO—it’s inevitable!”

She waved her hand, her gaze pouring down like dirty water, leaving no room for maneuver.

My patience finally reached its limit in that moment.

“That’s not true.”

At first, I just softly uttered those four words, but that suppressed emotion felt like it was about to burst my chest—the next second, my voice rose involuntarily.

“That’s not true! You haven’t seen Heita’s effort at all!”

“As his sister—you haven’t seen how hard your brother is really working!”

“Huh?”

Aya was stunned, as if she hadn’t expected me to talk back. “What did you say, trash?”

I took a deep breath, my chest burning.

“Trash this, trash that.”

I stared at her, my tone unusually clear instead. “A girl spewing such disgusting terms from her mouth—don’t you feel ashamed?”

I raised my hand, pointing at myself, then at Heita.

“I, Yae Yoruichi, am not trash.”

“Neither is Heita.”

Those words were more like a declaration.

The volume wasn’t loud—this body could only produce so much.

But it was enough to make the surrounding students busy with decorations stop their actions, all turning their gazes toward us in unison.

Aya’s momentum clearly wavered.

“Wh-Wh… what?”

Her voice started to tremble. “Someone who can’t advance tiers… a Tier 0 isn’t trash?”

I didn’t avoid her gaze.

“I’ll prove it to you.”

I said it word by word, like declaring war on her, and like swearing to myself.

“With this—BHAO KNOCKOUT.”